This invention relates to disk cartridges. More particularly, this invention relates to disk cartridges of the type having rotatable recording media means mounted therein and to particulate removing means for removing particulates from air which flows in proximity to the recording media means.
The present invention will be described in detail in association with magnetic disk cartridges of the type having rotatable flexible magnetic disk means mounted therein. It is to be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to any particular recording media, size of recording media or format and that the invention is also applicable to non-flexible or rigid recording media as well as to optical recording media of various sizes and formats.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,769,733, assigned to the same assignee as the subject application, there is disclosed a magnetic data storage cartridge wherein two magnetic disks or a disk pair are coaxially joined and axially spaced such that during high speed rotation of the disks, a continuous air bearing exists between the functional portions of the disks. An inter-disk wiper is interposed between the disks and contacts the inner surfaces of the disks. Top and bottom wipers contact the outside surfaces of the disks. The bottom wiper is staked to the inside of the cartridge along one edge. The bottom wiper extends over a rib on the inside of the cartridge so that the wiper is biased toward the disk. The flexibility of the wiper material loads the wiper against the disk. This obviates what might otherwise be a problem of proper spacing from the inside of the cartridge to the disk. The top wiper is secured by adhesive to the inside of the cover so that it contacts the outer surface of the other disk.
The wipers cover only a portion of the disk surface and are positioned at the back of the cartridge with respect to the location in which two substantially opposed transducers are brought into read/write relationship with the outer surfaces of the disks when the cartridge is inserted into a magnetic disk drive. This produces minimum interference with the stability of the rotating disks in the area of the transducers.
The purpose of the wipers, as disclosed in this patent, was, among other things, to stabilize the disks in order that the two substantially opposed transducers could simultaneously access the outer surfaces of the two disks without causing substantial deformation of either disk by the transducer positioned adjacent to the opposite disk. The inter-disk wiper was also disclosed as serving to remove contaminates from between the disks as the disks were rotated and the top and bottom disk wipers were positioned to wipe the outside surfaces of the disk pair to wipe away any foreign materials on these surfaces.
It may be explained here that the surface to which the top wiper is secured is a Bernoulli surface against which in operation the top disk is rotated at high speed. During high speed rotation, in a manner known to those skilled in the art, an air bearing is formed between the surface of the top disk and the Bernoulli surface and the air bearing stabilizes the top disk. In a manner as disclosed in this cited patent, the bottom disk is in turn stabilized by rotation in juxtaposition to the stabilized surface of the upper disk. In this manner, both disks are stabilized by a single Bernoulli surface.
Such high speed rotation of the disks causes large volumes of air to be moved in and throughout the cartridge. In addition, air is both drawn into the cartridge and expelled from the cartridge. It will be appreciated that any particulates carried in the air drawn into the cartridge or carried in the air moving within the cartridge can have a detrimental affect on the record media, the transducers or their operation. This is especially so at the transducer disk interface where such particulates can cause excessive wear and also interfere with proper read/write operations.